Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

People are motivated to be part of the force.

There is an allocation of a further €10 million to support the purchase and fit-out of over 400 new vehicles. That is a key priority, as we need a modern and efficient Garda fleet for both urban and rural policing. I want to see a particular focus on the provision of marked Garda vehicles so as to provide for enhanced visibility of the policing presence in our urban and rural communities. We must support gardaí in their efforts to prevent and reduce crime. I also want to see a focus on supporting an increased capacity by gardaí to respond to burglaries, including rural burglaries, which are often committed by highly mobile gangs. It is important that gardaí have the resources they need in this respect. This Government will provide a capital budget far in excess of anything that has been provided by previous Governments for this area over several years.

The Government is committed to reforming the justice area and we want to enhance the administration and oversight of Ireland’s policing services. We will strengthen the role and remit of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, with strong and important legislation coming before the House in the next few weeks in that regard. There will also be legislation in the House this term to establish the new independent policing authority, which will provide another important point of accountability for the policing service in this country. It is part of the process of moving from a police force to a police service with ensuing proper democratic accountability. I have provided €500,000 for the establishment of the planned policing authority, as well as an additional €1 million so that GSOC can do the work entrusted to it. Confidence-building measures must be taken with GSOC, and there are inevitable tensions between the force and the commission. I am confident that there will be oversight of policing in this country on an ongoing basis that we can be proud of. The Garda will feel confident reporting to that commission, and it is important that the public will also have confidence in it.

There are other planned reforms. The new charities regulatory authority will be formally established tomorrow. We all remember the debate concerning proper oversight and administration of charities, as well as the various scandals that undermined charities which have done excellent work. The authority is a major new reform, as it will be an independent regulatory agency for the first time in the sector. That demonstrates a clear commitment on the part of the Government to reform and to having the right services in place. The Legal Services Regulation Bill will return to the Dáil to complete Report Stage, and the allocation for the authority was indicated in the budget.

One of my Department’s core priorities is to facilitate access to justice for all citizens. The new Court of Appeal has been established and judges will be appointed in the next few weeks. It will deal with virtually all appeals from the High Court.

It will also deal with the current backlog. In that context, it can take up to four years for a case to be heard and that is unacceptable. The decision on the Government's part to establish the Court of Appeal will give rise to a significant change in that the Supreme Court will be freed up and not obliged to deal with certain cases.

There is much work to be done in the area of criminal justice. The budget marks the beginning of a breakthrough in enabling us to pursue the reforms I have outlined and develop a more effective policing service. It also provides some of the building blocks necessary to allow important progress to be made. I am confident that in the coming year we will, as a result of the impact of the budget, make the progress necessary to ensure the country will become a safer and fairer place.

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